Opportunities

Opportunities for Student Composers at Frost School of Music and Throughout South Florida

At the Frost School of Music, the composition faculty recognizes the importance of providing ample opportunities for students to have their works performed by exceptional performers. The Frost School has exceptionally talented performers and ensembles that provide ample opportunities for students to have their works, not only performed, but performed well. In addition, the faculty supports its composition students by providing the following opportunities:

ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE:

Cleveland Orchestra Residency : For the last ten years, the Frost School has provided an unparalleled opportunity for select composition students; an opportunity to have a work read by either Cleveland Orchestra ensembles or the Cleveland orchestra. A competition is held each year for Frost Composition students. Up to five student works are chosen to be read, critiqued and showcased by the Cleveland Orchestra.

Frost Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition: Each year a competition is held for Frost student composers. The winner receives a performance on the Frost Symphony Concerto concert.

Frost Symphony Orchestra Readings: At the end of each semester, any student composer who wishes to have his/her orchestra composition read by the orchestra has the opportunity to do so. The artistic director of the orchestra is composer Thomas Sleeper.

The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra recordings: Each semester students in the Film Music courses have their film music read and recorded.

WIND ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE:

Frost Wind Ensemble Readings: At the end of each semester, any student composer who wishes to have his/her wind ensemble or band composition read by the Frost Wind Ensemble has the opportunity to do so.

CHAMBER MUSIC PERFORMANCE:

The Frost School of Music enrolls exceptional performance majors, the rising starts in the world of music. The school has many different ensembles [ensemble link] and as part of the school’s mission, those ensembles are encouraged to perform and premiere new works by student composers.

Festival Miami: Each year, during October, the Frost School of Music presents a month-long music celebration that brings in internationally known performers and composers. As part of that festival, students compete to be included on the Emerging Composers Concert. This concert features the top students of the school performing works of student composers.

The Other Ensemble: The Other Ensemble is a mixed chamber ensemble that is dedicated to performing new works by students. They present two concerts each year. They also sponsor a composition contest for Frost student composers.

The Electroacoustic Ensemble: The Electroacoustic Ensemble gives two concerts each year featuring works that involve music technology (laptops, synthesizers, interactive electronics, etc.). The ensemble regularly also includes acoustic instruments (traditional orchestral as well as non-Western) in combination with electronic. The ensemble encourages students to write new works for its concerts.

CHORAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE:

Frost Chorale: Each year a composition competition is held for Frost composition students. The winning works are performed in concert and taken on tour with the choir. The non-winning works receive a reading.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

The graduate program offers Teaching Assistantships which include teaching in The Experiential Music Curriculum (EMC). The EMC at the Frost School of Music prepares students for current and future musical environments by addressing disconnects between formal training and popular culture, and between theory and aural recognition. While delving deeply onto aural training, the EMC develops the student’s abilities of cognitive synthesis, knowledge transfer and critical thinking. Students are placed in chamber ensembles led by Graduate Teaching Assistants; within these ensembles, students engage in contextual analysis, improvisation, sight singing, keyboard orientation, and related activities. This presents a wonderful opportunity for Graduate Students to become acquainted with a unique and revolutionary curriculum.​

STUDENT COMPOSITION ORGANIZATIONS

Society of Composers, Inc student chapter: The composition students at Frost School of Music have a long tradition of activisim and embrace the spirit of creating opportunities for their music to be heard. In fact, the Music Theory and Composition Department was one of the first to have an SCI student chapter.

The student organization presents up to six concerts each year. One of those concerts is the “Scares and Scores” event that pairs film students with composition students to create short films during Halloween. The films are projected in the Cosford Cinema and are accompanied by a live orchestra performing the music that the composition students composed for the films.

SCI student chapter also brings in ensembles each year for a two-day residency at which time student works are read, critiqued and presented.

RESIDENCIES:

All of the great composers of our time have at one time or another met with our students during short residencies. Just recently we have had visits from Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Corigliano, Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Bernard Rands, Christopher Rouse, E.T. Zwilich. The composition faculty is strongly in favor of providing as many of these opportunities as possible. (link to recent visits?)

Frost Distinguished Composer-in-Residence: Each year a major figure in the world of composition teaches for six weeks at the Frost School of Music. Our first composer in residence beginning in Spring 2015 and continuing through Fall 2015 will be Steven Hartke. Every composition student has individual lessons with the Distinguished Composer-in-Residence.

CULTURAL RICHNESS OF MIAMI:
Miami has become one of the rich cultural centers of the world. Listed below are just a few of the cultural opportunities available:

Art Basel Miami: According to Wikipedia “Art Basel provides a platform for galleries, giving them access to an international audience of collectors, museum directors and curators. The shows attract people with an appreciation of modern and contemporary art who experience Art Basel as a cultural event.
https://www.artbasel.com/en/miami-beach

New World Symphony The mere presence of the highly acclaimed New World Symphony in nearby South Beach would count as a major asset and benefit for any composition program. The opportunity to hear recent works by the most dynamic composers of our time, including Thomas Ades, John Adams, Kaija Saariaho, Sven Tuur, James Macmillan, Michaal Daugherty, James Mackey, just to name a few of the most recent, is nearly unparalled among today’s performing orchestras. Established in 1987 by conductor Miichael Tilson Thomas as America’s first orchestral training academy, the ensemble is comprised of 3 year “fellows” representing the very finest players from colleges and conservatories of music around the country. The major orchestral and chamber music of the 20th and 21st century continues to be the focal point for New World, with many composers invited as either conductors of their works, or able to work with the orchestra through the innovative use of Internet 2 live streaming. January of 2011 will usher in a significant new era for New World with the opening of their state of the art concert hall, designed by architect Frank Gehry. http://www.nws.edu

Miami Symphony Orchestra: http://themiso.org/

Cultural Shock: http://www.cultureshockmiami.com/

Seraphic Fire: Award winning Seraphic Fire is one of the world’s premiere choral ensembles. It regularly presents newly commissioned works in addition to traditional repertoire. http://www.seraphicfire.org/